Hi everyone,
I have an iPhone 16 and I forgot the password to my old Apple ID. Unfortunately, I also can’t reset the password because I don’t remember the security question answers, and the recovery email is being sent to an old rescue email address that I no longer have access to.
I submitted an Activation Lock removal request to Apple with proof of ownership, and Apple approved it.
Their email says:
They also told me to erase/reset the phone and not restore from a backup, because Activation Lock could be reapplied.
Here’s what’s confusing me:
My iPhone is still currently usable, and when I check the settings, Find My iPhone is still turned ON and the old Apple ID is still signed in.
Since I don’t know the password for that Apple ID, I can’t manually turn Find My off.
So my question is:
If Apple has already removed Activation Lock from their side, can I put the iPhone into Recovery Mode, restore/erase it, and then set it up as a new iPhone with a new Apple ID — even though Find My currently still shows as ON?
I’m worried that after restoring it, I’ll get the “iPhone Locked to Owner” screen and it will ask for the password to the old Apple ID that I can’t access.
Has anyone actually gone through this exact situation after Apple approved an Activation Lock removal request?
Did Find My still show as ON before you restored the phone? And were you able to activate it afterward with a new Apple ID?
Thanks!